Skip to main content
Flathead Avalanche Center
Responsive Links
Advisories
Observations
Donate
Forecasts
Avalanche Forecasts
Whitefish Range
Swan Range
Flathead Range and Glacier N. P.
Archives
Sign up for emailed forecasts
Tutorials
How to read the Forecast
Avalanche Problems
The Danger Scale
Observations
Observations
Field Observations
Observations prior to Oct.1 2022
Incidents
Snowpack Tracker
Submit Observation
Weather
Western MT Backcountry Weather Forecast
Weather Station Table
Weather Station Map
Education
Classes and Events
Course List
Event Calendar
Class Details and Registration
Northern Rockies Snow & Avy Workshop
Mentorship
Videos
Throttle Decisions Video Series
Local Awareness Videos
Online Resources
Avalanche Encyclopedia
Avalanche Canada tutorial
Know Before You Go Online Course
Backcountry Ascender - Motorized Specific
BCA Tutorial
FOFAC Recorded Classes
About
Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center
FOFAC
How To Help
Sponsors
Donate
Flathead Avalanche Center
Blog
Staff
Contact
Annual Reports
Donate
Sheds and Ladders
Location Name:
BNSF Avalanche Program-Snowslip Mtn-Glacier Park
Observation date:
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - 23:15
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
No
Observation made by:
Public
Tabs
Quick Observation
Toured up the Shed 6/7 ridge on the south face of Snowslip Mtn. to the Shed 7 weather station and just above there to about 6600 feet elevation.
Objective was to assess the snow surface conditions, recent wind-loading, and keep tabs on the weak layers in the snowpack (mid-Jan SH/facets/crust and early Dec facets).
Descended the Shed 5/4D area.
Mostly sunny in the AM becoming mostly cloudy by the afternoon with no precipitation all day.
Moderate westerly winds were only lightly wind-loading the easterly aspects in our location. On sunny aspects the surface was slightly crusted/firmed up from the past couple days and this limited the wind-loading. Although on some nearby peaks we could see more intense wind-loading (photo below).
Air temperatures reached the high-20s °F at the Canyon floor and into the high teens/low-20s °F above 6000 feet.
New crop of surface hoar growing on the snow surface on most all aspects and elevations. This is being destroyed by the winds at exposed locations above 5000 feet.
We found buried surface hoar on top of the mid-January crust in locations more sheltered from the wind between 5000-6000 feet.
We dug a snowpit and conducted a full snow profile on a SE aspect at 5600 feet elevation on the Shed 5/4D ridge. Total snow depth here was 57 inches and we found a gray stripe of buried surface hoar 20 inches down from the surface. This layer fractured but did not propagate during an Extended Column test. We did a get a propagating result on a thin layer of facets about 8 inches down from the surface (pit profile below).
The early December facets at the bottom of the snowpack were unreactive at the snowpit location
No shooting cracks, sudden collapses, or small slabs running on test slopes while ski cutting.
No recent avalanche activity observed.
Evidence of older cornice fall and small slab avalanches in Shed 7 W, most likely occurred over the weekend.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details:
Date and Time of Avalanche:
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - 23:15
